The touch panel technology and related application software development have made the popularity of tablet PC an unstoppable trend. Small size and portability enable the users to bring a tablet PC virtually everywhere, indoor or outdoor, at home or in the office, or even in public transportation.
Other portable electronic devices, such as, smart phone, PDA, portable media player (PMP), e-book reader, mobile Internet device (MID), and smartbook, are also a part of the consumer electronic market spectrum. All these types of devices share a common need that the user often needs to hold the device in one hand and use the other hand to operate the touch panel. In addition, the display of these types of devices often allows the user to select the display in either vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) modes.
Although most of these types of devices take the weight into account when designing, however, the long-duration holding of the device is still stressful to the wrist and hand without any auxiliary support device, and the hand may shake or quiver to add stress to the viewing. Therefore, auxiliary support devices are developed to provide additional support to relieve the stress. In particular, many supporting apparatus are designed to hold the portable device in a standing position at a tilt angle on a flat surface, such as, on a desk top, to free the hand from holding the device. However, an effective supporting apparatus must also be portable so as to be carried everywhere with the portable device. In other words, a foldable and adjustable supporting apparatus is likely more desirable to achieve the object of portability.